Consistent training with your dog looks like this…
Training and working with your dog should not require hours and hours of extra time or effort. We are all busy with work, family, friends and other obligations, our days are full! Yes, we need to make time to walk our dog every day, but the real training happens in all those small moments before and between each walk. Consistency is key to building leadership and adding structure to your routine.
Remember to talk less to your dog, use the consistent one-word commands, say it once and wait. Practice being dependable, reliable, stable, steady, and calm = those are just a few of the characteristics of a great leader!
5 ways to stay consistent and dedicated in dog training:
- making each small interaction deliberate – from meal time or potty breaks or playtime it all counts as training if you are intentional with guiding your dog
- holding your dog accountable – if you give a command but your dog blows you off and you don’t follow through, your dog is learning that your commands don’t actually matter
- sticking to the rules and having everyone in the house on the same page – this is important to make sure your dog is receiving the same message. mixed signals add to the confusion
- wait those extra seconds for eye contact – at thresholds, before a meal, even just a simple sit during a walk, wait for your dog to look to you
- repeating the same actions – get into the habit of doing things the same way each time, build the routine and your dog will understand exactly what to expect
Walk your dog every day, join a leash class or work on training calm out in public! Happy dog walking and thanks for all the support! 🙂 Shannen
